Goodyear auto transport on the I-10 corridor

Car carriers follow the interstates, and Goodyear has one of the busiest in the Southwest running through the middle of it. A truck leaving Los Angeles for Phoenix reaches Goodyear before it reaches almost anywhere else in the metro area. A truck leaving Phoenix for California passes Goodyear on the way out. For you, that means more trucks to choose from on West Coast routes and, often, a quicker pickup.

I-10 also carries most of the traffic heading east. From Goodyear a carrier runs through Tucson, El Paso and San Antonio to Houston, New Orleans and Florida without leaving the same highway. Loop 303 connects Goodyear north to Surprise and Interstate 17 for routes toward Flagstaff, Utah and Colorado. Our Goodyear office is at Litchfield Road and McDowell Road, just north of the freeway.

Many of Goodyear's newer residents came from California, and cars move between the two states every day. From the Los Angeles basin or the Inland Empire the trip is roughly 300 to 360 miles, and a vehicle is often delivered within a day or two of being loaded. San Diego is about the same distance by way of Interstate 8. The Bay Area and Sacramento take a little longer.

One thing surprises people about short routes. They cost less in total than a cross-country shipment, but more per mile. Loading, securing and unloading a vehicle takes the driver the same time whether the truck then travels 350 miles or 2,000, so that work is spread over fewer miles. The online quote reflects this automatically. If you're comparing shipping against driving the car yourself, count the fuel, a one-way flight or a second driver, and a full day on the road each way.

North of the Gila River, Goodyear is easy ground for a carrier. Palm Valley, Canyon Trails and the neighborhoods along Litchfield Road are all within a few minutes of I-10, and most streets have room for a truck to stop.

Estrella is different. The community sits in the foothills of the Sierra Estrella several miles south of the freeway, and most trucks reach it by Estrella Parkway. Carriers serve it regularly, but the round trip takes a good part of an hour, so drivers like to schedule Estrella stops at the start or end of their day. PebbleCreek is a gated community for residents 55 and older. Call the gate ahead of time to add the carrier as a visitor, and expect the driver to load on one of the wider streets near the entrance.

Eastbound, I-10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate, and it avoids the high mountain passes that slow northern routes in winter. That makes cold-season shipping from Goodyear to Texas, Louisiana and Florida more predictable than a run across the Rockies or the Plains, where a storm can add days. If you're moving to Houston or San Antonio, three to five days on the truck is typical. Florida usually takes about a week. Carriers on this route often load in Tucson and El Paso as well, so your vehicle may share the trailer with cars picked up there.

Goodyear summers regularly top 110 degrees, and heat is hard on a parked car. A little preparation prevents the most common pickup-day problems.

• Test the battery. Heat shortens battery life, and a car that won't start at pickup has to be winched on as a non-running vehicle.
• Check tire pressure and look for cracked sidewalls, especially if the car has been sitting.
• Top off the coolant and fix any leaks. Carriers can refuse a vehicle that's dripping fluid onto the cars below it.
• Take out aerosol cans, lighters, loose batteries, electronics and medications. The cabin of a car on an open trailer gets far hotter than the air outside.
• Leave about a quarter tank of fuel.
• Ask for an early-morning window. It's easier on you, the driver and the car.

Goodyear Ballpark hosts the Guardians and the Reds each spring, and the area along I-10 and Loop 303 is lined with large distribution centers that send out truck traffic around shift changes. Neither stops a pickup, but both can slow one down. If you live near Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road or close to the 303 interchange, a mid-morning window usually avoids the worst of it.

Luke Air Force Base is a few miles north of Goodyear up Litchfield Road, and many service members live here, in Litchfield Park and in Avondale. If you're shipping a vehicle around a military move, our Glendale page covers base access and timing in more detail, and the Goodyear office can book it for you.